The Postcard Without a Street

Dov worked at the campsite shop for the summer. He sold ice, matches and fishing line. He also practiced his English on every guest.

Dov bekerja di toko perkemahan selama musim panas. Ia menjual es batu, korek api, dan benang pancing. Ia juga berlatih bahasa Inggris dengan setiap tamu.

His English was slow and careful. Sometimes it was also very funny. He said, "I speak English like a duck with a dictionary." He did not smile.

Bahasa Inggrisnya lambat dan hati-hati. Kadang-kadang juga sangat lucu. Ia berkata, "Saya berbicara bahasa Inggris seperti bebek dengan kamus." Ia tidak tersenyum.

On a quiet morning, a woman came into the shop. Her name was Fenna. She had wet hair and a red nose. In her hand was a postcard.

Pada suatu pagi yang sepi, seorang wanita masuk ke toko. Namanya Fenna. Rambutnya basah dan hidungnya merah. Di tangannya ada sebuah kartu pos.

"Please help me," she said. "I need to send this card today. But I have a small problem."

"Tolong bantu saya," katanya. "Saya harus mengirim kartu ini hari ini. Tapi ada sedikit masalah."

"I like problems," said Dov. "They are good for my English."

"Saya suka masalah," kata Dov. "Masalah bagus untuk bahasa Inggris saya."

Fenna put the card on the counter. On the front was a picture of the river. On the back was a long message in blue pen. It was funny and a little wild.

Fenna meletakkan kartu itu di atas meja kasir. Di depannya ada gambar sungai. Di belakangnya ada pesan panjang dengan pulpen biru. Pesan itu lucu dan agak liar.

"Dear sister," it said. "Happy birthday! Today I fell into a river. Not on purpose. A duck laughed at me."

"Kakakku tersayang," tulisnya. "Selamat ulang tahun! Hari ini aku jatuh ke sungai. Bukan sengaja. Seekor bebek menertawakanku."

"This is a good card," said Dov. "The duck is my favorite part."

"Ini kartu yang bagus," kata Dov. "Bagian bebeknya yang paling saya suka."

"There is no address," said Fenna. "My sister moved to this country last month. I only know she lives in this town. My phone is dead, so I cannot look it up."

"Tidak ada alamatnya," kata Fenna. "Kakak saya pindah ke negara ini bulan lalu. Saya hanya tahu ia tinggal di kota ini. Ponsel saya mati, jadi saya tidak bisa mencarinya."

Dov looked at the card for a long time. "No address," he said. "This is a card for nobody."

Dov memandang kartu itu lama sekali. "Tanpa alamat," katanya. "Ini kartu untuk tak seorang pun."

"It is a card for my sister," said Fenna. "She just does not have a street."

"Ini kartu untuk kakak saya," kata Fenna. "Hanya saja ia belum punya jalan."

"What do you know about the house?" Dov asked. He took a pencil. He felt like a very serious police officer.

"Apa yang Anda tahu tentang rumahnya?" tanya Dov. Ia mengambil sebuah pensil. Ia merasa seperti polisi yang sangat serius.

Fenna thought hard. "She told me three things on the phone," she said. "The gate is yellow. The door is the color of a lemon. And there is a goat."

Fenna berpikir keras. "Ia memberi tahu saya tiga hal lewat telepon," katanya. "Gerbangnya kuning. Pintunya berwarna seperti lemon. Dan ada seekor kambing."

"A goat?" Dov put down the pencil. "In the garden?"

"Seekor kambing?" Dov meletakkan pensilnya. "Di kebun?"

"In the garden. She says he is very famous."

"Di kebun. Katanya kambing itu sangat terkenal."

"Which goat?" said Dov. "This town has eleven goats. But only one very important goat."

"Kambing yang mana?" kata Dov. "Kota ini punya sebelas kambing. Tapi hanya satu kambing yang sangat penting."

Fenna laughed. "How do you know which one is important?"

Fenna tertawa. "Bagaimana Anda tahu yang mana yang penting?"

"Because he is on the town sign," said Dov. "And he eats paper."

"Karena ia ada di papan nama kota," kata Dov. "Dan ia makan kertas."

"He eats paper?"

"Ia makan kertas?"

"Only the white kind," said Dov. "The post lady gives him a carrot every day. Then he does not follow her."

"Hanya yang putih," kata Dov. "Ibu tukang pos memberinya wortel setiap hari. Jadi ia tidak mengikuti ibu itu."

Fenna looked at the postcard in her hand. It was white. Her face became very serious.

Fenna memandang kartu pos di tangannya. Kartu itu putih. Wajahnya menjadi sangat serius.

"So I cannot just put it in that house's mailbox," she said.

"Jadi saya tidak bisa begitu saja memasukkannya ke kotak surat rumah itu," katanya.

"The goat will read your message first," said Dov.

"Kambing itu akan membaca pesan Anda lebih dulu," kata Dov.

They both laughed. A man came to buy ice. Dov gave him a bag and took his coins. The man left. Then Dov turned back to Fenna. He had a new look on his face.

Mereka berdua tertawa. Seorang pria datang membeli es batu. Dov memberinya sekantong dan menerima koinnya. Pria itu pergi. Lalu Dov berbalik lagi ke Fenna. Wajahnya tampak berbeda.

"The goat lives on Mill Road," he said. "I know it. It is near my school. The yellow gate belongs to a woman with a trumpet."

"Kambing itu tinggal di Jalan Mill," katanya. "Saya tahu tempatnya. Dekat sekolah saya. Gerbang kuning itu milik seorang wanita yang punya terompet."

"My sister plays the trumpet," said Fenna slowly. "She says her new neighbors hate it."

"Kakak saya bermain terompet," kata Fenna perlahan. "Katanya tetangga barunya benci suaranya."

"Then it is her house," said Dov. "No other house on Mill Road has a lemon door."

"Kalau begitu itu rumahnya," kata Dov. "Tidak ada rumah lain di Jalan Mill yang pintunya berwarna lemon."

Fenna put both hands on the counter. "You just found my sister," she said. "With a goat."

Fenna menaruh kedua tangannya di meja. "Anda baru saja menemukan kakak saya," katanya. "Dengan seekor kambing."

"With a goat and a little English," said Dov. He looked proud.

"Dengan seekor kambing dan sedikit bahasa Inggris," kata Dov. Ia tampak bangga.

"Now the card can go in the mail," said Fenna. "A birthday card must come in the mail. It is more fun."

"Sekarang kartunya bisa dikirim lewat pos," kata Fenna. "Kartu ulang tahun harus datang lewat pos. Lebih menyenangkan."

"I will write the address on the card," said Dov. "In my language. Then the post lady understands."

"Saya akan menulis alamatnya di kartu," kata Dov. "Dalam bahasa saya. Supaya ibu tukang pos mengerti."

He took her pen. He wrote slowly, one letter at a time. First came the road, then the number, then the town. The number was fourteen. He knew it because it was painted on the gate.

Ia mengambil pulpen Fenna. Ia menulis perlahan, satu huruf demi satu huruf. Pertama jalannya, lalu nomornya, lalu kotanya. Nomornya empat belas. Ia tahu karena nomor itu dicat di gerbang.

"Is that all?" asked Fenna.

"Sudah semuanya?" tanya Fenna.

"One more thing," said Dov. He wrote a few more words at the bottom of the card. "This says, 'Not for the goat.'"

"Satu hal lagi," kata Dov. Ia menulis beberapa kata lagi di bagian bawah kartu. "Ini tertulis, 'Bukan untuk kambing.'"

Fenna laughed so hard that she had to hold the counter.

Fenna tertawa begitu keras sampai harus berpegangan pada meja.

"We need a stamp," said Dov. "I have stamps in the drawer. Stamps are the only thing here that is not wet."

"Kita butuh perangko," kata Dov. "Saya punya perangko di laci. Perangko adalah satu-satunya barang di sini yang tidak basah."

He gave her a stamp. She put it on the corner of the card. Then she pressed it down.

Ia memberinya sebuah perangko. Fenna menempelkannya di sudut kartu. Lalu ia menekannya.

"I owe you something," she said. "What can I give you?"

"Saya berutang sesuatu pada Anda," katanya. "Apa yang bisa saya berikan?"

Dov thought. "Speak to me for ten minutes," he said. "Only English. Fast, like you always do. I want to hear it."

Dov berpikir. "Bicaralah dengan saya selama sepuluh menit," katanya. "Hanya bahasa Inggris. Cepat, seperti biasa Anda bicara. Saya ingin mendengarnya."

So Fenna talked. She told him about the river and the duck. Then she told him about her borrowed tent. She spoke fast and Dov listened with his whole face. Sometimes he did not understand. Then he asked, "What does 'borrow' mean?" She explained, and he wrote the word on his hand.

Maka Fenna berbicara. Ia bercerita tentang sungai dan bebek itu. Lalu ia bercerita tentang tendanya yang pinjaman. Ia berbicara cepat dan Dov mendengarkan dengan seluruh wajahnya. Kadang-kadang ia tidak mengerti. Lalu ia bertanya, "Apa arti 'borrow'?" Fenna menjelaskan, dan Dov menulis kata itu di tangannya.

When ten minutes ended, the sun was high. Fenna picked up the card.

Ketika sepuluh menit berakhir, matahari sudah tinggi. Fenna mengambil kartu itu.

"The yellow mailbox is at the campsite gate," said Dov. "I walk with you."

"Kotak surat kuning ada di gerbang perkemahan," kata Dov. "Saya antar Anda."

They went out into the bright morning. The grass was warm. Near the river, a family played cards on a blanket. A small boat moved slowly along the far bank.

Mereka keluar ke pagi yang cerah. Rumputnya hangat. Di dekat sungai, sebuah keluarga bermain kartu di atas selimut. Sebuah perahu kecil bergerak pelan di sepanjang tepi seberang.

At the gate stood the yellow mailbox. Fenna held the card to her chest for a moment. Then she put it in.

Di gerbang berdiri kotak surat kuning itu. Fenna mendekap kartu itu ke dadanya sejenak. Lalu ia memasukkannya.

It fell with a soft sound. Dov nodded. The hard job was finished.

Kartu itu jatuh dengan bunyi lembut. Dov mengangguk. Pekerjaan yang sulit itu sudah selesai.

On the river, a duck pulled a thin line across the water. Neither of them said anything for a while. Then Dov looked at his hand.

Di sungai, seekor bebek menarik garis tipis di permukaan air. Selama beberapa saat tak satu pun dari mereka berkata apa-apa. Lalu Dov memandang tangannya.

"Borrow," he said quietly, to practice. "Borrow, borrow, borrow."

"Borrow," katanya pelan, untuk berlatih. "Borrow, borrow, borrow."